Who Is Cherie Rebar?
The new chair of Kettering College’s Associate of Science nursing program, 1995 KCMA alumna Cherie Rebar, spent some time with us, answering a few of our questions, both normal and “off the wall”…

What led you to become a nurse?
Seriously? I had to get a “real job.” I was a high school music teacher and loved it, but the pay was yucky, and I kept losing jobs due to tax levy cuts in the district. So I decided to consider other options, and health care sounded good. I liked helping people, so nursing seemed like a logical choice. However, it was only after I really got involved in my schooling that I realized I truly did love this profession, and as I got to work with people in the role of an RN after graduation, I realized that my calling was to meld the professions of nursing and education. So here I am.

Tell us the best and the worst things about being a nurse.
Best–feeling a sense of contribution by making a difference in the world, one person at a time. Worst–phlegm.

What is it like to be both an alumna and a faculty member at Kettering College?
It’s actually quite humbling. I am proud to have graduated from KCMA, and it’s almost surreal to now walk the halls as a peer next to many of the folks who molded me into who I am today professionally.
I feel that I have a great responsibility to give back some of what was given so freely to me, and I count it a privilege to serve alongside these people, training tomorrow’s health care force.

If you weren’t a nurse and an educator, what other career field might you have chosen? Why?
I would be a forensic pathologist. I actually considered going to medical school at one time but decided I preferred to get married and have a family. That is a choice I have never regretted. If I ever retire from education, which I cannot imagine, I’ll have to become a designer of shoes, handbags, and jewelry.

Tell us about the last time a student really surprised you.
That’s a hard one, because it takes a lot to really shock or surprise me. I’ve been told almost every story known to man, had people strip to show me something on their body (because they know I’m a nurse practitioner, too), and learned plenty about my students in the “too much information” category. The better question here might be when was the last time I really surprised my students.

Is there something or someone that always can make you laugh out loud – or at least smile?
You will usually find me laughing out loud about something, even the small things in life. My husband and my daughter never fail to make me smile with gratefulness and pride and also sometimes make me laugh out loud.

What is something about you that would surprise most people?
In college, I had the world’s biggest hair. In my sorority picture, my hair transcended the oval that surrounded my composite photo on all sides. I also was a collegiate drum major and lived in a dorm room so messy that it should’ve been condemned by the health department. Also, I hate summer. Seriously — it is the worst season ever.

What do you daydream about?
Watching my daughter grow up, growing old/gray/happy with my husband, finishing my Ph.D., and being part of the dynamic positive changes occurring in KCMA’s nursing department and in the College at large.

You’re stranded on a desert island. What three things would you take?
Assuming my family is already with me, I would choose to take a satellite phone to call for help, cases of Diet Coke, and my laptop so I can answer e-mail.

What would be your ideal last meal?
Sushi, and lots of it — preferably tempura shrimp rolls; a big bottle of Diet Coke, and one of those Chocolate Bombes from the Atrium Grille.

You’re packing for a trip. What are you most likely to forget?
Underwear. I’ve done that before. I wouldn’t forget my purses and shoes though.

What’s the one food that will never be found in your home?
Liver and onions.

What is the last thing you did for the first time?
Had a baby. That is also the last time I will do that, even though it was the first time.